Tone Boyle
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First-Place Panthers Open Homestand With Valparaiso
UWM looks for fifth-straight league victory
Jan. 4, 2009
Game #14 - Valparaiso (4-10, 1-2 Horizon) @ Milwaukee (8-5, 4-0 Horizon)
Mon. Jan. 5 • 7 pm
U.S. Cellular Arena • Milwaukee, Wis.
Printable Game Notes
The Short List
• UWM opens a five-game homestand by welcoming Valparaiso to the U.S. Cellular Arena Monday night.
• The Panthers swept a pair of games in Chicago last week, winning at UIC Tuesday and at Loyola Saturday.
• UWM has made 10 or more three-pointers in three-straight games, a first since the 2004-05 season.
• UWM is 4-0 in Horizon League play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
• In their four league games, the Panthers are averaging more than 10 made three-pointers per game and have four players averaging at least 10 points per game.
• Valparaiso has dropped 10 of its last 12 games against a daunting schedule that has already included North Carolina, Purdue and a league game with Butler.
On The Air Tonight
Tonight's game will air live on WISN (AM 1130), with Bill Johnson on the call. Pregame coverage starts at 6:45 p.m. The game is followed by Panthers' Postgame on WISN, live from Major Goolsby's across from the U.S. Cellular Arena. Video of the game is also on the Horizon League Network.
Ticket Time
Tickets for all UWM home games are available through Milwaukee-area Ticketmaster outlets, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 414-276-4545. Tickets are also available at the U.S. Cellular Arena box office on the day of the game. Prices are $20, $15 and $10. UWM students are admitted free with a valid student ID.
• Game #14
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's basketball team opens a five-game homestand by welcoming Valparaiso to the U.S. Cellular Arena for a Monday night contest.
• Some Matchup History
Valparaiso leads the all-time series with UWM, 8-6, as the rivalry between the two schools restarts in earnest with Valpo's addition to the Horizon League. The two teams split two meetings a year ago, with each team winning on the other team's homecourt. Prior to joining the league before last season, Valpo and Milwaukee had last met early in the 2004-05 season. And, before the meeting in Milwaukee last February, Valpo had not played at UWM since December of 2002.
• No Break Ahead
Milwaukee played just five games in December and just three times after its league home openers Dec. 4 and 6. But, that break is definitely over. Starting with Saturday's game at Loyola, the Panthers are in a stretch of six games in 15 days. It ends with a run of three contests in six days, including a non-league contest with SIU Edwardsville.
• On The Homefront
After a two-game road swing to Chicago, the Panthers return to the U.S. Cellular Arena for five-straight games. Milwaukee is 4-1 at home this season and is now 56-21 in regular season and postseason contests at The Cell since their return in 2002-03. If you combine games at both the Klotsche Center and the U.S. Cellular Arena, UWM is 59-14 in regular season Horizon League home contests over the last nine-plus seasons.
• Nice Start In The League
With the addition of Valparaiso to the Horizon League prior to last season, the league schedule gets off to an early start. This year, the Panthers have taken advantage of that early start to claim four league victories and become one of three unbeaten teams in league play. This is UWM's first 4-0 start in league play since the 2005-06 season, when the Panthers started 5-0. UWM's best-ever league start came in 2003-04, when Milwaukee won its first 10 league contests. And, aside from those above, the only other 3-0 league start for the Panthers had come in 2002-03, with UWM dropping its fourth league game at UIC.
• At The Top Of The Horizon
UWM's 4-0 start in league play has added to a tremendous run of success the Panthers have enjoyed in Horizon League play. In fact, since the 2001-02 season, UWM has the second-most league wins among league schools and sits just two league wins behind Butler. Those two schools have also combined to win or share the last seven league regular season titles. The league standings starting in 2001-02:
Butler 84-33
Milwaukee 82-36
Wright State 66-52
UIC 65-52
Green Bay 56-61
Detroit 56-62
Loyola 54-62
Cleveland State 37-81
Youngstown State 29-89
Valparaiso 10-11
• Last Time Out
Avery Smith scored 28 points and Tone Boyle added 19 as UWM won its fourth-straight Horizon League game in capturing an 80-66 win over Loyola Saturday afternoon at the Gentile Center. The Panthers built a 14-point first-half lead and then led by as many as 20 points late in the second half. Milwaukee made 13 three-pointers, the third-straight game where it has connected on at least 10 shots from long range. And, the Panthers shot 51.8 percent from the field overall in breaking the 80-point mark for the fifth time.
• Lighting Up The League
So far, so good when it comes to the Panthers and their shooting in Horizon League play. UWM is making a solid 45.2 percent of its league shots and has made 42-of-89 (47.2 percent) from three-point range. Those shooting numbers are helping to push UWM's overall shooting stats in the right direction. The Panthers are shooting 42.6 percent from the field overall, part of a group of six league teams shooting between 42.1 and 43.8 percent from the floor entering this week. The Panthers shot a stellar 60 percent from the field in the Nov. 19 win over Upper Iowa, making 30-of-50 from the field. The shooting mark is the fourth-best in Milwaukee's Division I history. It was also the best since the Panthers shot 60.6 percent from the floor against Prairie View A&M in the 2004-05 season opener. Milwaukee has also shot 51.8 percent twice this season - Saturday against Loyola and Nov. 15 against Cal Davis.
• Long Range Bombers
UWM continues to show off its improved shooting abilities from long range, making 13 more three-pointers in the win over Loyola. That marked the third-straight game in which the Panthers have made at least 10 threes, the first time that happened since UWM did it four-straight times at the end of the 2004-05 campaign. Milwaukee had reached double figures from beyond the arc just eight times combined over the last two seasons. Overall, Milwaukee is shooting 38.0 percent from three-point range, having converted 34 more three-pointers than its opponents. Last season, UWM shot just 30.7 percent from three-point range, while the Panthers shot just 32.6 percent from beyond the arc two seasons ago.
• All About Avo
Avery Smith certainly seems to have found his stride as we near the midway point of the season. He led the way with 28 points in the win at Loyola Saturday, scoring on numerous driving layins while also knocking in three 3-pointers. It marked the fourth 20-plus-point effort of the season for Smith, who scored 20 of his points in the second half. This was the third single-half explosion of the year for the senior, who scored 17 points in the second half against Upper Iowa and 19 points in the first half against Bradley. The 20-point half is the third-best of his career, as he scored 23 points in the first half against Drake in February of 2007 after scoring 22 in the first half against Oakland in December of 2006. By the way, the best single-half effort of recent Panther history belongs to Dylan Page, who scored 27 points in the second half vs. Loyola in December of 2002.
• And He's Doing It All
The most notable area of growth for Avery Smith since he last took the court for the Panthers in the 2006-07 season has come in his overall play. In fact, in league action, Smith has a pair of seven-assist games and has also been among UWM's leading rebounders. His league statline includes 14.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest.
• Getting Everyone Involved
While Avery Smith stole the offensive headlines in Saturday's win at Loyola, the Panthers are proving to have plenty of offensive weapons. Tuesday at UIC, five players reached double figures, the second time this season that has happened. The Panthers have had eight different players record at least one double-figure outing this season, while Tone Boyle (4) and Avery Smith (4) have combined for eight 20-point efforts. Boyle has reached double-figures nine times in his first 13 games while Smith and Ricky Franklin have each done it six times. Tony Meier and James Eayrs have done it five times, Anthony Hill four times and Deion James and Deonte Roberts twice each. Six players are averaging at least 7.2 points per game.
• Enough On Offense
UWM's improved play on offense this season has established a couple of notable trends. After shooting 51.8 percent from the floor Saturday, the Panthers moved to a perfect 8-0 when shooting at least 40 percent from the field. And, in scoring 80 points Saturday, Milwaukee moved to 7-1 in games when it scores at least 70 points. The Panthers have been putting up plenty of points this season. UWM's 86 points in the win over Bradley Dec. 20 marked the second-highest offensive output of the season (87 vs. Upper Iowa) and, with another 80-point performance Saturday, UWM has now scored 80 or more points five times. Milwaukee scored 80 or more points just three times all of last season and just once during the 2006-07 campaign. Meanwhile, Tone Boyle and Avery Smith have combined for eight 20-point efforts so far this season. Last year, UWM had just 12 20-point efforts during the entire season. In 2006-07 there were just nine such outings, with eight of those from Smith.
• Don't Forget About The `D'
With all of this talk about the offense, it would be easy to overlook the defensive efforts the Panthers have been putting forth of late. Loyola shot just 38.1 percent from the field Saturday and scored just 66 points. Against Bradley Dec. 20, UWM limited the Braves to a 31.1 percent shooting clip, the lowest by a Panther opponent this season. UWM has now held an opponent under 40 percent shooting from the field six times this season. The defense has definitely been a key to victory for the Panthers this season. In Milwaukee's eight wins, opponents have shot just 37.9 percent from the field and averaged just 64.0 points per game. But, in five losses, opponents are shooting better than 47 percent from the field and averaging more than 79 points per game.
• Still A Lot Of New Faces
While UWM does have some returnees playing key roles this season, the Panthers are still counting on a number of new faces. And, while Avery Smith does have two seasons of college basketball under his belt, he had not played in a college game in 20 months when he made his season debut in mid-November. In UWM's last three wins, three of the five Panther starters weren't on the roster a season ago, while key reserve James Eayrs also wasn't on the squad last year. Through the first 13 games of the season, players that were not on the roster a season ago have accounted for 532 points (58.0 percent) and 206 rebounds (44.5 percent) per game. Saturday, 61 points and 18 rebounds came from players not on the team a year ago.
• A Charity Case
Another positive development on offense for the Panthers during the early season has come at the foul line. Not only is UWM getting there on a regular basis, but the Panthers are taking advantage of the opportunity. Milwaukee is averaging over 21 attempts per game while converting 73.0 percent of its opportunities. The 37 attempts Dec. 4 against Detroit were the most since UWM attempted 41 against Cleveland State Jan. 26 of last season. Then, Milwaukee had 34 more free-throw attempts in the win over Bradley.
• Many, Many Minutes
Tone Boyle has become UWM's iron man, rarely finding his way to the bench of late. In fact, when Boyle headed to the bench in the final minute against Loyola, it was his first minute on the bench since the Dec. 11 loss at Miami. His feat of going the full 40 minutes in back-to-back contests marked the first time that had happened since Paige Paulsen played all 40 minutes against Green Bay and Youngstown State in back-to-back outings last season. And, Ricky Franklin joined Boyle in playing all 40 minutes against UIC, the first time since 1994 the Panthers had two players play every minute of a game. The biggest ironman in recent Panther history is Derek Durham, who played 40 or more minutes six times in the 1995-96 season, playing all 40 minutes in a regulation game five times. He also played 40 or more minutes five times, including four 40-minute efforts in a regulation game, during the 1994-95 campaign.
• Big Games From Big James
Junior James Eayrs has made his presence known of late, especially in the second half of games. Last Tuesday at UIC, Eayrs shared team-high honors with 15 points, scoring 12 of them in the second half. In the contest against Detroit, Eayrs scored all nine of his points in the second half. In fact, seven of the nine came in the final 2:52 of the game. Then against Wright State, Eayrs scored 14 points (11 in the second half), making 4-of-4 from three-point range. One of his threes came with just 1:08 left and gave UWM a six-point lead and control of the game. Eayrs has trimmed himself from 340 pounds early in the preseason to 310 pounds as the league schedule got underway. He is averaging 7.5 points per game off the bench and is making better than 41 percent of his three-point chances.
• Mega-Meier
While the Panthers were fortunate enough to redshirt two of their three scholarship true freshmen this season, the one who is playing this year is making a major impact. Tony Meier has started 12 games this season, recording a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in his debut against Loyola Marymount in November. In four league contests, Meier is averaging 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Saturday at Loyola, Meier scored nine points, including a pair of three-pointers at the start of the second half that extended UWM's lead to 16 points. The double-double in his debut made him the first true freshman to record a double-double in his first appearance as a Panther in UWM's Division I history. Adrian Tigert had a double-double in his fifth game as a true freshman in 2001-02.
• Comeback Kids
One of the most memorable games in recent Panther history came Nov. 15, as UWM rallied from a 24-point halftime deficit to beat Cal Davis, 81-75. The Panthers actually outscored the Aggies, 54-24, in the second 20 minutes, after trailing 51-27 at the break. The comeback is the largest in UWM's Division I history, besting the comeback from a 21-point second-half deficit against Virginia Tech in December of 2001. Last season, the Panthers actually made a pretty good habit of recording comeback victories, rallying from double-digits down to win four times last year.
• Other Notables
The Panthers have fielded four different starting lineups, with seven players earning at least one start ... UWM has now won six of its last eight road league openers ... UWM is now 2-4 on the road this season ... the win over Bradley Dec. 20 snapped a nine-game losing streak by UWM against MVC foes, as it was the Panthers' first win over a Valley team since 2002 ... the Horizon League is now 5-3 against teams from the Valley this season ... Ricky Franklin had a double-double in the win over Bradley ... Tone Boyle and Franklin each earned spots on the all-tournament team at the season-opening World Vision Classic. Boyle scored 20 points in his debut and wound up averaging 16.3 points per game in the three contests. Meanwhile, Franklin averaged 12.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds over the three games ... UWM was picked to finish sixth in the Horizon League this season, according to a poll of coaches, SIDs and media members ... the Panthers were actually picked eighth in three different publications - The Sporting News, Lindy's and Athlon Sports.
• On The Air
UWM has again put together an extensive television and radio package for the 2008-09 men's basketball season. On the television side, Panther games will air on Time Warner Cable Sports 32 for the second-straight season. At least 10 games will be a part of the package, with most of those broadcasts also available nationally on ESPN Full Court and ESPN360. UWM also has an ESPNU appearance slated for Jan. 9. On the radio side, UWM games are back on WISN (AM 1130) for a second-straight season. Home games also include a live postgame show from Major Goolsby's in downtown Milwaukee on WISN. WISN also airs "Rob Jeter on Basketball" Mondays from 6-7 p.m.
• Up Next
The Panthers host Green Bay Friday at 8.
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